YuGiOh! Delta: Sky High
by Rebster6
Summary: In this story, we introduce a new character called Skyler, who will be featured prominently in future stories. Also introducing two new Numbers. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

It was very early in the morning, just after six.

The current duel had been going for about fifteen minutes, and the Number had still yet to show up. In the meantime, Dan was being extra careful not to Summon his own Number unless he absolutely had to. His reasons were obvious. The Numbers were incredibly dangerous, and he had no desire to use it on Harrison. If he could win without either player Summoning a Number, then he would.

Harrison was a fellow pupil at Dan and Leah's old school. He had always talked a really big game, but his skills always seemed to let him down when it mattered. He wasn't a bad duelist by any means, but made critical errors at the wrong times. But in this duel, things were different. He had yet to make a single error or slip-up – Dan suspected it had something to do with the Number.

When they had first got there, there had been a brief dispute between Leah and Dan over who should duel Harrison – everyone agreed that it should be one of those two because they both knew him. Eventually they settled on a coin toss, and Dan won.

Now, fifteen minutes after that, the duel was approaching its conclusion. Harrison had come out strong with his Insect-type Deck, quickly inflicting some unexpected damage to Dan. However, Dan had recovered quickly, and fought back fiercely. The results were evident. Dan had taken no damage since then, and had managed to Summon one of his strongest Synchro Monsters, as well as another Defence Position monster and two face-downs. Harrison, on the other hand, was low on life points, had no cards in his hand, and only controlled the Verdant Sanctuary Spell Card. It was his turn

**Dan LP:** 2700

**Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss: Dragon-Type/Synchro/WATER/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1200**

Twin-Headed Behemoth: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 1 Polaris Counter

**Harrison LP:** 800

"It's my turn, draw!" Once again, Harrison made his move with uncharacteristic decisiveness. "I Summon Infernity Beetle!" The oversized stag beetle appeared.

Infernity Beetle: Insect-Type/Tuner/DARK/Level 2/ATK 1200/DEF 0

"Next I'll use Infernity Beetle's effect. By tributing it while I have no cards in my hand, I can Special Summon two more copies of it from my Deck." The beetle distorted and faded away, only to be replaced with two more identical insects.

Infernity Beetle: Insect-Type/Tuner/DARK/Level 2/ATK 1200/DEF 0

Infernity Beetle: Insect-Type/Tuner/DARK/Level 2/ATK 1200/DEF 0

"Both Level two Infernity Beetles, Overlay!" The beetles morphed into purple blobs of energy, and shot upwards. Where they had been, a portal opened.

"An Xyz Summon!" Leah gasped, suddenly alert. "Dan, be careful!" He nodded in response.

The two Xyz Material Monsters spiralled down into the portal. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The portal exploded. "Be born, **Number 20: Blue Firefly**!"

A glowing, bright purple symbol – the number twenty – appeared on the side of Harrison's neck. Out of the portal rose a cluster of massive insect eggs, joined to look like a single cohesive, yet quite disgusting unit. One of the eggs burst, showering the field with slime, and revealing part of a blue exoskeleton. One by one, each of the eggs burst, revealing more and more of the deep blue insect inside. With a great heave, the insect unfurled its wings, which were thin and bat-like, and let off a screech which seemed to dislodge the remainder of the smile coating its body. It had a single horn on its head, and the glowing light-blue of its body was visible beneath the darker blue of its skeleton. It was orbited by two red Overlay Units, which made for an eerie contrast.

**Number 20: Blue Firefly: Insect-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 2/ATK 1500/DEF 1500 – 2 OLU**

Dan was concerned by the Number's presence, but not terrified. In the past few days, he had seen two of his comrades take down Numbers much stronger than this, and that had offered him a sense of perspective. He had no doubt that he could repeat the feat.

"Blue Firefly's effect activates. By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can change the Battle Position of any face-up monster." One of the Units broke orbit and flew into the insect's horn. The firefly brought its wings together, as though embracing the air in front of it.

**Number 20: Blue Firefly: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

Harrison pointed a finger at Dan's field. "I target **Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss**!" The Number formed a glowing golden sphere between its wings, which seemed to be made of a whirling vortex of fireflies. It launched the sphere at Skhulglyss, who opened its mouth as though to eat it. The moment the sphere made contact, it expanded rapidly, completely encasing the dragon in gold light, and forcing it down to the ground and into Defence Position.

"Dan, look out!" James shouted. "He's going after your monster!"

"Yeah, I got that," Dan replied, not taking his eyes off the Number.

"Battle! Blue Firefly, attack Skhulglyss! Firefly flare!" The Number formed a second sphere and launched it again. Once more, it expanded on contact – but this time, the fireflies were red, and the dragon roared in pain before exploding. Dan covered his face as the dragon exploded, but it had been shifted to Defence Position, so he remained unharmed "That ends my turn! Not so tough now, are you!"

A few choice retorts of his own occurred to Dan, but he stifled them and started his turn. "I draw. I activate the Spell Card **Gathering of the Polaris**! So by banishing two WATER monsters from my Graveyard, I can add two Polaris cards from my Deck to my hand." He removed Blizzard Dragon and **Polaris Dragon Rhetta** from his Graveyard, and his duel disk extracted two cards from his Deck, which he took. "I choose **Legacy of the Polaris** and **Polaris Dragon Yve**. Now I'll play the Spell Card I just chose, **Legacy of the Polaris**! By discarding any number of Polaris cards, I can distribute three times that amount of Polaris Counters among face-up monsters. So I'll discard two copies of **Polaris Dragon Yve** to place six counters on your Blue Firefly!" Six orbs of light shot out of the card and affixed themselves to Blue Firefly's skeleton, then solidified into lumps of ice.

**Number 20: Blue Firefly: 0 **→** 6 Polaris Counters  
**

Harrison had seen what those Counters could do, and was getting nervous.

Dan continued. "Now, I activate the effect of **Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss** from my Graveyard. By removing six Polaris Counters from the field, I can revive it!"

"What?" Harrison cried, suddenly afraid.

Dan grinned; this would seal the deal. "I'll take five Counters from your Firefly, and the last one from my Twin-Headed Behemoth!" The six chosen Counters turned back into orbs of light and, similar to an Overlay Unit, flew straight into Dan's Graveyard.

**Number 20: Blue Firefly: 6 **→** 1 Polaris Counter  
**

Twin-Headed Behemoth: 1 → 0 Polaris Counters

"Revive, **Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss**!" With a flurry of snow and a roar of triumph, the icy dragon took to the field once again.

**Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss: Dragon-Type/Synchro/WATER/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1200**

"Go, Skhulglyss, attack Blue Firefly! Blizzard force stream!" The dragon had been waiting for that. Rearing back, the dragon took in a huge breath, and let of a blast of icy, glittering wind. The Number was engulfed, and dissipated almost instantly. Harrison was thrown back. Dan knew that that had to have hurt, but Harrison shouldn't be complaining. Compared to what Katie had suffered through a few days earlier, that was nothing.

**Dan LP:** 2700 [WINNER]

**Harrison LP:** 800 → 0

The remaining monsters faded away with the augmented reality field. Dan removed his D-Gazer and gave the thumbs up to his friends. Leah came running over and congratulated him, they pulled each other into a hug, both glad that the duel hadn't escalated much further than that.

"Nice one Dan," Katie said. Dan grinned at her, then yawned widely, which set her off too. The Deltas never usually got up this early, but they had received a rather rude awakening. Professor Usur had installed a very loud alarm in the Delta's apartment, and with good reason. Twice now, the five teenagers had missed an alert on a stray Number that had just been played in a duel, and Professor Usur wasn't going to let it happen again. The alarm was loud, obnoxious, and generally a pain, mostly because it couldn't be switched off from inside the apartment. But it had done its job. It had got the Deltas up in time, and they had located the Number with relative ease.

"So," Dan said, "was I amazing, or was I just plain awesome?"

Leah gave him a friendly punch on the arm. "Don't gloat," she grinned.

"Yeah," Matt added, "especially when you haven't actually finished the job yet."

Dan looked at him, confused. Matt raised his right hand, the metal band on his wrist glinting in the rising sun. Dan gasped and quickly turned back to Harrison to extract his Number... then stopped.

Kneeling next to Harrison was another man. As the other Deltas also turned to look at him, he stood up and turned to face them. He was a tall man in his mid to late twenties, maybe even his early thirties. He had untidy green hair and a grey coat that went to his knees, but was kept undone to reveal a white t-shirt and jeans beneath it. The coat had thick black things along its stich-lines that seemed to be wires, or thick pieces of string. Wrapped around his left hand was a bandage, but it was his right hand that caught the most attention.

It was a robotic hand.

It was impossible to tell how far up the metal extended, but it went right into his sleeve, past his wrist-line. Looking at his face, they also saw a scar that stretched across his left eye. He had startlingly blue eyes, and they were staring at the Deltas with a look of mistrust.

Dan broke the silence. "Who are you?"

The man didn't answer him, but rather turned back to Harrison as though he'd forgotten about them. Reaching down, he rested his robotic hand gently on Harrison's chest.

"Hey mister, I'd get away from that boy if I were you," Leah shouted. "He's dangerous!"

The man took no notice of them, but instead moved his metal hand up to Harrison's neck. The boy stirred and moaned, as if in pain. The glowing number twenty on his neck glowed a bright purple colour through the man's metallic fingers, and a ring of light encircled the Number's symbol. The man frowned, concentrating.

All of a sudden, there was a bright flash of white light. It blinded the Deltas very briefly, but in that time, they heard Harrison let out a horrible, ear-splitting scream. When they opened their eyes again, the man had stood up, and Harrison's neck was no longer glowing. He was lying there, still unconscious, but with a pained expression on his face. The man was clutching his own cybernetic arm, and also appeared to be in some pain.

"Hey," Dan shouted. "What just happened there? We told you to stay away from him. He has..." Dan stopped, thinking it best that he didn't mention the Numbers. "He's dangerous, ok?"

The man looked at them once again, and finally spoke with a calm yet commanding voice. "I am well aware of the power of the Numbers, you foolish Delta."

Dan gasped. Beside him, Matt stiffened, ready to put himself between this man and his friends if necessary. Leah stepped up next to them. "But then... did you just...?"

The man gestured towards Harrison. "You wish me to step aside? Then go ahead, attempt to extract his Number. But I warn you now, I am certain that you won't be able to."

Dan was wary of this man. He seemed too confident; one step ahead of everything. As if to prove him wrong, Leah reached out a hand and extended the tendrils of light from her own band into Harrison's body. The stranger watched the tendrils closely, a look of concealed fascination on his face.

"Well?" James asked after almost a minute had passed.

Leah paused, then shook her head. "It- it's not here. There's no Number in him." With a sense of detached disbelief, she pulled the tendrils back.

"But there has to be!" Dan insisted. "I just dueled him. He definitely had one-"

"Looking for this?" the stranger asked calmly. The Deltas turned to look at him, and were shocked to see the man holding up a card for them to see. It was the Number card they'd just witnessed. **Number 20: Blue Firefly**...

* * *

Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss  
Dragon-Type/Synchro/WATER/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1200  
1 WATER Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Dragon-Type monsters  
You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard) by removing 6 Polaris Counters from the field. Once per turn: You can pay 600 Life Points; distribute Polaris Counters among face-up monsters, equal to the number of "Polaris" monsters in your Graveyard. Negate the effects of all face-up monsters your opponent controls with Polaris Counters on them.

Number 20: Blue Firefly  
Insect-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 2/ATK 1500/DEF 1500  
2 Level 2 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster; change that target's Battle Position.

Gathering of the Polaris  
Spell Card  
Banish 2 WATER monsters from your Graveyard; add 2 "Polaris" cards (except "Gathering of the Polaris") from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Gathering of the Polaris" per turn.

Legacy of the Polaris  
Quick-Play Spell Card  
Activate 1 of these effects. ●Remove any number of Polaris Counters from the field; add 1 "Polaris" card from your Deck to your hand for every 3 counters removed. ●Discard any number of "Polaris" cards; distribute 3 times that amount of Polaris Counters among face-up monsters.

* * *

**Fun Fact #1: Harrison will not be a main character in future stories. The strange man, on the other hand, will be. Pay close attention to him.**

**Fun Fact #2: Some of you are probably wondering how Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss was able to destroy Number 20: Blue Firefly in battle despite not being a Number. Or if you weren't, then you probably are now (or you already know, either way). Remember, Skhulglyss negates the effects of monsters with Polaris Counters on them, and Blue Firefly still had a Counter left on it.**

**Fun Fact #3: Yes, the stranger did just take Harrison's Number. Yes, that does make him a Number hunter. However, you'll soon find out that this man's method of extracting Numbers is a bit less... refined than the Deltas'.**


	2. Chapter 2

"There it is!" James shouted. "That's the Number! But... how did you get it?"

The man didn't answer, but rather put the card away inside his jacket and turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Matt called after him. "Who are you? How do you know about the Numbers?"

The man stopped and slowly turned to face them. There was no friendliness in his eyes. "If you really wish to know, my name is Skyler. However, that's all I'm willing to tell you. As of now, it will be better for everyone if you just forget about me."

"Skyler..." Matt repeated. "Well, that doesn't tell us much, but at least we know what to call you now. So, Skyler, why are you hunting the Numbers?"

"As I said before, you know enough about me already," Skyler said, a hint of irritation entering his voice. "You don't need to know anything more." He turned to walk away.

Matt was about to call after him, but something glowing caught his attention. With horror, he turned to see James activating his band. "James, don't!" he shouted. They'd been told not to use the bands on Number holders until they'd beaten the holder in a duel, because it was only after defeat that a Number was at its weakest.

James ignored the warning, and sent the glowing tendrils at the retreating stranger. Skyler didn't see them coming until it was too late. He whipped around to face them just as the tendrils entered his chest. He gasped with pain, his eyes wide with shock, and grabbed at the tendrils of light with his metal arm, trying to dislodge them. It seemed that James was winning. The man was helpless.

James, however, was having a much more difficult time than it appeared. He had run drills on how to use the band, and had heard Matt and Katie describing how it felt... and that's how he knew that something was wrong. Skyler's soul felt completely different. James couldn't feel the familiar sensation of the Number wrapped around Skyler's soul – though there was definitely a Number in there. He could at least feel that much. Throwing caution to the wind, he grabbed at the Number.

It felt like a bolt of lightning shooting through his body. With a scream of pain, James was thrown backwards. He lay on the ground twitching, smoke seeping out of his band. The tendrils had retracted extremely quickly. Katie gasped and rushed over to him, lifting her boyfriend's head up as he recovered. The other Deltas, all just as concerned, crouched in a semicircle around him.

"What happened, James?" Matt asked.

James shook his head, still confused himself. "I... I don't know."

Leah was less sympathetic. "Well you were warned about this, you know. Professor Usur warned us not to use the bands on Number holders like-"

"Listen," James insisted. "It wasn't like that. You were all there when he told us. He said that it would be impossible to dislodge the Number from a person's soul if they hadn't been defeated first. But this was different." He paused, as if trying to make sense of his experience, then went on. "The Number attacked me. The moment I tried to grab it, it lashed out at me."

The others paused, dumbstruck.

Dan found his voice first. "How? How on earth would a Number attack us through the bands?" James shook his head – he had no idea. Dan turned to look back at Skyler. He was clutching his chest and was panting. He seemed to be in pain. But he also looked very angry.

"You... you ignorant brats! How dare you try and extract a Number from me! You're meddling in powers that you know nothing about!" He paused, then went on. "Answer me this: why are you collecting the Numbers? In fact, how much do you actually know about them?"

"A lot more than you," Leah retorted, though she was secretly unnerved by the man's attitude.

"I highly doubt that." Skyler seemed to have regained his composure, and was glaring at them with contempt. "In either case, I've had enough of you. Go on, scurry back to your Professor and report your failure. I've wasted enough time with you already." Without another word, he turned and walked away.

The Deltas watched Skyler leave with apprehension. They were all acutely aware of how he had just stolen a Number from them, but were also unwilling to go after him for fear of what might happen. Skyler had some sort of power, and they had been helpless against it. Subdued, defeated, they called for the car to take them home.

*SEVERAL MINUTES LATER*

They were all sitting in their apartment, the five Deltas having been joined by their boss, Professor Usur, who was making it possible for them to hunt the Numbers. They had just started to explain that they hadn't been able to acquire the Number.

As expected, the Professor hadn't taken the news well.

"You failed?" he shouted. "You're not supposed to fail! You have Numbers of your own, why didn't you beat this holder? Are you telling me that you were all defeated? That's pathetic!"

"Sir, it's not like that." Dan cut in. "I did defeat the Number. That part went off without a hitch. It was what happened afterwards... someone else appeared and extracted the Number before I could."

"Another Number hunter," Matt added.

Professor Usur stopped dead, his eyes wide with surprise. "Another hunter... impossible, that's... explain! Tell me exactly what happened! Every detail!"

The Deltas told the Professor what Skyler had done as accurately as they could. When they had finished, he looked both dazed and worried.

"The news of another Number hunter is disturbing indeed," the Professor said, choosing his words carefully, "but what really worries me is the Number attacking James. It's simply impossible. A Number alone shouldn't be able to do that. My only guess is that we have encountered a Number holder who is possessed differently than regular holders."

"Possessed differently?" Katie repeated. "What do you mean by that, Professor? How is it possible for his possession to be so different from everyone else's?"

"I wish I could answer you, my dear," the Professor replied, running a hand through his hair. "But I'm afraid I haven't got a clue. This is beyond me."

"Ok, then can you answer this question instead?" Dan cut in. He'd been thinking about it ever since Skyler posed him those questions, and he realised that Skyler was right. They didn't know enough. "Where did the Numbers come from?"

Dan hadn't expected an answer; he was certain that Professor Usur would have no idea. But the Professor surprised them by considering the question, and surprised them even more by saying, "I'm afraid that you're not ready for that information. Not yet."

"Wait, so you know?" Leah asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do know." The Professor replied. "Unfortunately, details of where they came from must be kept a secret, even from you." He stood up to leave, then seemed to have second thoughts and turned back to them. "Know this, however. The place that the Numbers came from is pure evil, and as such, the Numbers themselves are pure evil. You have already experienced this first hand. My mission – our mission – is to gather all of the Numbers and send them back to where they came from, so they can never harm our world again. Don't forget that." He turned and walked to the door.

"Sir, hold on," James said. "What about Skyler?"

The Professor stopped with his hand on the doorknob. Without turning around, he said, "If there is someone else outside out organisation hunting the Numbers, it's unlikely to be to our benefit. My only advice is to be cautious of him, but remember that we need to gather the Numbers. All of them. And if this stray Number hunter possesses one... then dueling him may be an eventuality." There was nothing more to say. The Professor opened the door and left, shutting it behind him.

The Deltas sat in silence for a while, trying to make sense of everything that had been said. It was a lot of information to take on at once. Dan was the first to break the silence. "So... who's up for hunting the stray hunter?"

"Slow down, Dan," Katie said. "Shouldn't we talk about what we've just been told?"

"There's nothing really to talk about," Leah cut in. "The Numbers came from an evil place, and we're trying to collect them all to send them back. It all boils down to the same thing: we have to trust the Professor."

"I agree. If it was important for us to know, the Professor would tell us." Matt added. He then addressed Leah directly. "So you're up for going to look for Skyler as well?" She nodded.

"Seriously?" James said. "You really want to go looking for him? After what he did to me?"

Matt nodded. "Skyler may have vital information that we can use. Besides, how do we know that he's not on our side?" The others looked at him. "Think about it: aside from ours, what reason is there for hunting Numbers?"

"Power? Insanity? Both?" James argued.

Matt shrugged. "It's possible, but it's equally possible that Skyler could be an ally. So, if for no other reason than that, I'm willing to look for him."

Dan grinned. "Plus we can't ignore the simple fact that he nicked one of my Numbers. I'm definitely going to get that off him."

"Well, that's great and all," Katie butted in. "But before we all go off to fight the special sixth Number hunter who possesses untold power… don't you think we should all have breakfast?" Everyone laughed.

"I'm definitely up for that," James announced. He slouched back in his seat and snapped his fingers like a fussy customer. "I demand pancakes, woman! Millions and millions of pancakes!"

Katie gave him an affectionate swipe around the head, then stood up. "So Dan, feel up to helping me?"

"You bet I wi-" Dan started to say, but Leah interrupted him.

"Actually, Dan and I are going to work on our Decks for a bit."

"We are?" Dan said.

"You are?" Katie said. Then she shrugged. "That's fine, just make sure you're finished before breakfast."

"Not a problem." Leah chirped, before leading Dan into his bedroom and shutting the door. Then she whispered to him, "Dan, are you sure you want to face him alone? You know I would tag with you if you asked."

Dan really did consider it for a moment, but shook his head. "It's fine. Really, I can manage. We can't always tag together; besides," he smiled, "you wouldn't want me butting in on your first serious Number duel, now would you?"

Leah grinned back. "Well, since you put it that way, I guess I'll have to ignore you." Dan blinked. "I'm being a part of the duel whether you like it or not."

"You're what?" Dan said, confused. Leah reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a card, which she held out for him to take. Dan eyed it with curiosity and apprehension. "Is that your Number card?"

She shook her head, and gestured for him to take it. "Nah, this card means a lot more to me than my Number. Go ahead, take it."

Dan already had an inkling what it was, but he took the card and checked it anyway. He was right. It was the Spell Card, **Archlord's Blessing**, and it was one of her absolute favourite cards. He looked back at her. "Is it really ok for me to have this?"

She shook her head again, smiling. "It's ok for you to _borrow_ it. I expect it back once you're done with it. That card means a lot to me."

Dan laughed and nodded. He looked at the card again, then back at her. "Thank you… for sticking with me."

Leah smiled back. "Joined at the hip, that's us. Which is great fun-"

"-until one of us falls over!" Dan finished, and they both laughed, enjoying themselves, if only for a moment.

* * *

**Fun Fact #4: Yep, his name is Skyler. Say hello to Skyler. He'll be here for the long haul.**

**Fun Fact #5: No, we're not putting the info for Archlord's Blessing in this chapter. That would be a spoiler. Spoilers are bad.**

**Fun Fact #6: There is a very good reason that Archlord's Blessing is one of Leah's favourite cards. It dates back about three to four years. But once again, that's spoiler territory.**


	3. Chapter 3

The hunt for the hunter started immediately after breakfast.

The taxi dropped them off where Dan had dueled Harrison, in a small public square that was usually a popular site for dueling. Harrison seemed to have recovered and left. This early in the morning, however, it was mostly empty. As before, the Deltas split up to search different areas of the city. They had been told (very loudly) to pay very close attention to their D-Gazers, as the Professor would send them an alert if he managed to locate the elusive Skyler before they did.

In fact, finding him turned out to be easier than they thought.

It was Matt who stumbled across him, after several minutes of tedious searching in a nearby industrial estate. He was in an empty child's playground about half a mile away. Remembering his mistake from last time, Matt sent out a signal to the others before approaching Skyler, who was in the middle of a duel with another girl, who Matt assumed was another Number holder. A quick check of the Life Point screens told him that her name was Andrea.

**Skyler LP:** 4000

**Number 20: Blue Firefly: Insect-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 2/ATK 1500/DEF 1500 - 0 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 3 set cards

**Andrea LP:** 1150

"Go, Blue Firefly! Attack her directly!" Matt gasped as he recognised the Number from before. The insect curled its wings inwards and launched a red sphere of swirling lights at the girl. Upon contact, they expanded rapidly, completely encasing her. She cried out in pain, but her voice was haggard – it was clear that she'd been put through a lot in this duel.

**Skyler LP:** 4000 [WINNER]

**Andrea LP:** 1150 → 0

The final claxon sounded and the augmented reality faded away. The girl collapsed, utterly spent. Skyler took his time carefully removing and pocketing his D-Gazer and deactivating his duel disk. He was clearly in no rush at all. With an odd sense of nonchalance, Skyler walked forwards to his downed opponent, kneeled down beside her, and took hold of her left hand with his robotic arm.

Matt knew what to expect this time, and squinted through the flash of light, doing his best to ignore the girl's scream of agony. Through the glare, he saw Andrea's hand was blazing with light, but it seemed to be transferring itself into Skyler's metal hand. The light died away, and the girl slumped back, unconscious. Matt heard a groan of pain – but this time it wasn't from Andrea, it was from Skyler. Whatever his method of extracting Numbers was, it seemed to cause him a lot of strain.

But it did its job. As Skyler stood up clutching his arm, Matt saw a single card – one that hadn't been there before - clasped in his robotic hand. It was an Xyz Monster, but it was hidden from him. Matt took a step forward, trying to make out more of the card. It looked like it could be Number 3, perhaps... but at that moment, Skyler became aware of his presence. He whipped around to face him, still clutching his arm. Matt didn't flinch.

Skyler seemed to relax slightly when he saw Matt, but his look of mistrust didn't disappear. "So it's you again. I would say it's good to see you, but I'm not fond of lying. Why did you follow me here?"

"You have something we need." Matt replied flatly.

"Ah yes," Skyler said, "Number hunters will always have to go after each other eventually. Unfortunately for you, you chose the wrong one to go after." He clenched his robotic hand into a menacing fist. "I have no interest in you, but if you choose to stand against me, I will crush you."

Matt started to reply, but was interrupted by someone behind him shouting his name. He turned around, and saw Leah, Dan and Katie running across the grass to get to him. Skyler watched over Matt's shoulder with disinterest. Dan stopped a few feet in front of Matt, panting. "Skyler, I... I want to talk to you first."

Skyler observed the new arrivals. "I remember you. You were the one who was duelling against Number 20, weren't you?" He didn't bother waiting for an answer. "What is it you want?"

Dan was about to ask the question, but was side-tracked by the sight of the girl, Andrea, still lying there next to the man. He pointed at her and asked a different question instead. "How do you extract Numbers from people?"

Skyler paused for a moment. He seemed to be considering whether the question was worth answering. Then he said, "Alright then, I can't see the harm." He raised his right arm, the sunlight reflecting off the metal. "I use this. I won't tell you what it is or where I got it, but like your devices, it allows me to pull a Number out of a weakened opponent. However..." he lowered his arm again, "...my method of extracting the Numbers isn't as... effective as yours."

"How so?" Leah asked tentatively. She was starting to get nervous about the girl on the ground; she hadn't moved in quite a while.

Skyler pointed at Andrea. "My method of extraction is quicker, but far less intricate. In order to get the Number out of a person's body, I have to grab hold of the Number and use a lot of force to tug it out, rather than the careful unraveling made possible by your bands." He lowered his hand again, still not looking at his victim. "The only issue is that it's very traumatic for the Number holder. Their mind and their spirit will be damaged, sometimes irreparably. It's unfortunate, but leaving them possessed is far worse, and allowing any of you to capture the Numbers is worse still."

All four of them were speechless. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Dan started shouting. "What kind of person are you? I know that these people will be a lot safer with their Numbers removed, but what makes your methods preferable to ours? Ours don't cause any harm at all! What human would choose suffering purely on principle? Answer me!"

"It's not on principle; it's for the greater good!" Skyler shouted back. "It's better that they end up with me than with you!"

"What gives you the right or reason to make that decision?" Katie argued.

He sighed heavily, bringing himself back under control. "You're still quite young, I don't expect you to understand these things." He held up a hand before they could start shouting at him again. "Now then, I have no interest in standing here being interviewed, or being shouted at. So if you're not here to duel, then please leave me in-"

"Why do we have to be enemies?" Matt interrupted. Skyler blinked in surprise. "We're all hunting Numbers; how do you know we're not on the same side? How do you know that we're not hunting for the same reason? For all you know, we could be allies."

"For all I know..." Skyler's look of tired irritation was replaced with a look of disgust. He glared at the three of them. "You work for Professor Usur, so we are definitely _not_ on the same side!" he announced loudly.

"But why?" Katie asked, frustrated. "What problem do you have with the Professor?"

Skyler gritted his teeth. Now he seemed even angrier. "I'm going to destroy that man, and dismantle everything he's ever created! And if you choose to stand in my way, I will destroy you as well!"

Now Matt was curious. Skyler seemed to have a reason to absolutely despise the Professor and, by extension, his workers. But why? Katie whispered that same question to him a moment later. "I don't know," he replied as Leah and Dan turned around to join in the conversation. "I think it's pretty clear that the Professor and Skyler have wronged each other in some way. The thing I want to know is: who's in the wrong?"

Nobody said anything for a moment, while they thought for a moment. Finally, Dan said, "Well I certainly don't trust him after what he's said, and I reckon that's all we can boil this down to – trust. I don't trust him, but I trust the Professor. That's an end of it as far as I'm concerned."

"My thoughts exactly," Katie said, and Matt also nodded.

They turned back to Skyler, who was observing them with barely concealed impatience. Dan stepped forwards. "Alright, Skyler, I challenge you."

The reply came back immediately. "Very well, but I hope you understand the price of defeat: if you lose, I shall take your Numbers."

"And if you lose, I'll take yours." Dan retorted. "And I don't want you resisting, ok? If I win, you hand over all the Numbers you have without a fuss."

Skyler seemed to consider this condition for a moment, but finally responded, "Very well. I am a fair person, and I shall keep to my word: if you defeat me, I shall hand over all the Numbers I currently hold. Although, you should be aware that I don't keep every Number I've captured on my person. So you may only take the Numbers currently with me."

Dan wanted to argue, but short of demanding that Skyler go off, get them, and then come back, which seemed pretty unlikely to happen, there wasn't a lot he could do. "Ok, that's fine then."

"Good," Skyler replied. "In that case, I accept your conditions. So, let us begin!"

"Duel disk, set! D-Gazer, set!" Both players readied their equipment, and the augmented reality rose up around them. Just before they began, Skyler held up a hand to pause things, then pointed to Andrea.

"If one of you wants to move this girl out of harm's way, I suggest you do it now. This is a duel between Number hunters, so it is likely to be a violent one."

The other three nodded and jogged over to move the girl while Dan and Skyler waited. Matt slung her over his back, then retreated the way they'd come, to deposit her on the grass behind Dan. She didn't stir.

Skyler nodded in approval, "Well then, if you're ready, then let's begin." Dan also nodded.

_"AR Vision – link established."_

"DUEL!"

**Dan LP:** 4000

**Skyler LP:** 4000

"I'll start," Dan said. Skyler didn't object. "My turn, draw. I'll just Set one monster and one other face-down. Turn end." Both of his face-down cards appeared in quick succession.

"My turn, draw." Skyler examined his hand carefully. Vaguely, Dan wondered how Skyler was so good at drawing and holding the cards with that metal arm of his. "I Normal Summon Sonic Jammer." A metallic-looking insect appeared. It had a silver body and green wings that were beating so fast that they were just a blur.

Sonic Jammer: Machine-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK 350/DEF 650

Dan stared at the little cybernetic insect perplexedly. "Eh? Why on earth are you using a card like that?"

Skyler didn't bother answering. "Now, I activate the Spell Card, Machine Duplication. By targeting a Machine-type monster with 500 or less ATK on my field, I can Special Summon two more copies of it from my Deck. I Special Summon two more Sonic Jammers, both in Defence Position." Two more cyber bugs materialised to join the first.

Sonic Jammer: Machine-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK 350/DEF 650

Sonic Jammer: Machine-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK 350/DEF 650

"Two of my Level two Sonic Jammers, Overlay." The Attack Position monster, plus one of the Defence Position ones, both morphed into green amorphous masses and shot into the sky. A galaxy portal opened, waiting for them. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network. Xyz Summon." The two monsters flew into the portal together, which exploded. "Awaken, **Number 20: Blue Firefly**."

A glowing purple number twenty appeared on Skyler's neck.. Out of the portal rose a cluster of massive insect eggs, joined to look like a single cohesive, yet quite disgusting unit. One of the eggs burst, showering the field with slime, and revealing part of a blue exoskeleton. One by one, each of the eggs burst, revealing more and more of the deep blue insect inside It seemed that the cluster wasn't actually a cluster of eggs – it was all the same massive egg. With a great heave, the insect unfurled its wings, which were thin and bat-like, and let off a screech which seemed to dislodge the remainder of the smile coating its body. It had a single horn on its head, and the glowing light-blue of its body was visible beneath the darker blue of its skeleton. It was orbited by two red Overlay Units, which made for an eerie contrast.

**Number 20: Blue Firefly: Insect-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 2/ATK 1500/DEF 1500 – 2 OLU**

* * *

Author-made cards:

Number 20: Blue Firefly  
Insect-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 2/ATK 1500/DEF 1500  
2 Level 2 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster; change that target's Battle Position.

* * *

**Fun Fact #7: Blue Firefly will be appearing quite a lot in future stories. So I hope you like that Summoning sequence, because we're going to be copy-pasting it a lot.**

**Fun Fact #8: So, who remembers Sonic Jammer? Do you remember Sonic Jammer? Because we remember Sonic Jammer.**

**Fun Fact #9: We actually struggled on whether we should use Sonic Jammer or Dimension Jar for this part of the chapter. Functionally, they would perform the same role, but we just couldn't decide on which to use. Silly, I know. Eventually we had to take a vote, and Sonic Jammer won 3-2.**

**Fun Fact #10: Did you know that perplexedly was a word? I sure didn't.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Dan LP:** 4000

1 set monster

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Skyler LP:** 4000

Sonic Jammer: Machine-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK 350/DEF 650

**Number 20: Blue Firefly: Insect-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 2/ATK 1500/DEF 1500 – 2 OLU**

"A Number already?" Leah said in awe. "He's good."

"He's definitely got some odd strategy planned..." Matt muttered. Leah gave him a questioning look. "Look at that monster carefully." The two girls examined the Number, but couldn't see anything different about it. Despite its low Rank, it was just as large and threatening as any other Number they'd seen so far.

Then it clicked. "Its Battle Position!" Leah gasped. "It's in Defence Position!"

"Defence Position?" Katie looked again, and saw that Leah was correct. "So it is... but why?"

"I have an inkling," Matt said quietly. "But I want to watch a bit more to be certain."

Dan was watching the Number with a mixture of apprehension and irritation. _'I can't believe I have to fight this thing twice,' _he thought. _'Well… I reckon I can take it down just as fast as before.'_

"I'll place one card face-down and end my turn." Skyler's face-down materialised behind his Number.

Dan started quickly. "My turn, draw. I Normal Summon **Polaris Dragon Sona**!" This Tuner monster was a small, primarily black dragon with horns like a mountain goat and head like a horse.

**Polaris Dragon Sona: Dragon-Type/Tuner/WATER/Level 3/ATK 800/DEF 900**

"A Tuner monster?" Skyler observed thoughtfully. "So you intend to Synchro Summon that same Synchro Monster as before. That is a pity. I was hoping for something different..."

Dan had stopped listening. "Then I'll Flip Summon my other monster, **Polaris Dragon Islingh**!" This Dragon was very similar in appearance to Sona, including much the same horns, but was a startling white, and was a lot taller, yet much skinnier.

**Polaris Dragon Islingh: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 300**

"I tune the Level three **Polaris Dragon Sona** to the Level three **Polaris Dragon Islingh**!" Sona lit up fully white, before dissipating to reveal three green Synchro rings, which surrounded Islingh. The dragon faded away, leaving behind three shining stars, which centred themselves within the rings. "Synchro Summon!" A beam of light shot down the line of stars, through the centre of the rings, and hit the ground behind Dan. "Awaken! **Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss**!" With a beat of its wings, the dragon dispelled the beams of light and landed behind Dan, causing the ground to shake. It was a startling blue-and-white colour, with darker blueish-green scales running down its belly, hind legs, and tail, and a row of icicles hanging from the upper portion of its wings. The dragon rose up to its full height and let off a massive roar, its icy breath rising from its mouth like smoke.

**Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss: Dragon-Type/Synchro/WATER/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1200**

Perhaps it was because he had seen it once before or because he'd been expecting better, but Skyler didn't seem too interested in the dragon.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Katie. She grabbed Matt's arm and pulled him closer. "Hey Matt, that Blue Firefly... Skyler put it in Defence Position simply because he wanted a wall that only a Number can break through, right?" Matt nodded. "So then, Skyler doesn't really care about that monster. He's just using it to draw out Dan's Number."

"My thoughts exactly." Matt replied, not taking his eyes off the duel.

"Then we have to warn Dan!" Katie exclaimed. "If he walks into that trap and Summons his Number, he'll be playing right into Skyler's hands. We have to tell him!" She cupped her hands over her mouth to shout.

"Wait!" Leah said. Katie stopped and looked at her questioningly. "Don't bother. Dan's already worked it out."

"Really?" Katie asked. Both Leah and Matt nodded. "How can you tell?"

Leah looked back towards the field. "Do you remember how Dan took down Blue Firefly in the last duel?" Katie nodded. "Good. Now, notice anything familiar about his field now?"

Katie glanced at Dan's field and laughed. "Oh, I understand. Looks like he was one step ahead of us, wasn't he?" Matt nodded, smiling.

"Skhulglyss' effect activates!" Dan was saying. "By paying 600 Life Points, I can distribute a number of Polaris Counters onto the field equal to the number of Polaris monsters in my Graveyard. So, since I have two, I'll place one Counter on each of your monsters." A flurry of snow surrounded him as he paid the cost.

**Dan LP:** 4000 → 3400

"And then you intend to attack Blue Firefly, who's effect will be negated by Skhulglyss' effect, am I correct?" Skyler asked dispassionately. Dan said nothing, and Skyler shrugged. "I'll assume I'm right, and act accordingly. Trap Card, **Static Cyclone**, activate." The card flipped up, and began to give off an alarming amount of blue sparks. "With this card, by Tributing one Machine-Type monster I control, I can negate the effects of all monsters you currently control, until the End Phase."

"You what?" Dan gasped.

Skyler nodded. "I Tribute Sonic Jammer to cancel your dragon's effect." The metallic bug dissipated, and its particles swirled into the Trap Card. A sphere of blue electricity surrounded Skhulglyss. The dragon shook its head angrily and swung its tail, trying to get rid of the waves of electricity, but they wouldn't disappear.

Dan gritted his teeth. _'Dang. He was prepared to stop my usual Number counter… he really wants me to Summon my Number. What do I do…?' _"I'll end my turn there."

"Then it's my turn again. I draw." Skyler spent an unusually long amount of time looking at the cards in his hand, as though trying to decide which would be his best option. In the end, he chose none of them, instead opting to use what was already on his field. "I switch Blue Firefly from Defence Position to Attack Position." The insect rose to its full height, unfurled its wings and screeched at the dragon.

_'Here it comes." _Dan thought.

"I activate Blue Firefly's effect. By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I'll switch your **Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss** into Defence Position." The insect charged two spheres between its wings – a red one and a blue one. It launched the blue one at the dragon first, which encased it and forced it onto all fours.

**Number 20: Blue Firefly: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

"Dan, look out! He's going to destroy your monster!" Katie cried.

"This isn't good..." Leah muttered. "That's card is one of Dan's best options for fighting Numbers."

"Battle. **Number 20: Blue Firefly**, attack Skhulglyss. Firefly flare." It seemed that the Number had prepared the second sphere in anticipation of the attack. Now it fired it at the dragon, which roared and exploded.

Dan covered his face from the force of the attack, but his life points remained unharmed. He recovered and quickly responded. "I activate the effect of **Polaris Dragon Islingh** from my Graveyard!" A faint image of the card appeared behind him. "When a Dragon-Type WATER monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon this card from my Graveyard! Revive, Polaris Dragon Islingh!" The slim white dragon reappeared, shaking snow from its body.

**Polaris Dragon Islingh: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 300**

Skyler was undeterred, and continued his move as if nothing had happened. "During Main Phase two, I activate the effect Blue Firefly a second time. By detaching its second Overlay Unit, I'll have it change itself back to Defence Position." The insect absorbed its last Unit into its horn, and formed another blue sphere. The sphere surrounded almost instantly, and the Number obediently furled its wings around itself.

**Number 20: Blue Firefly: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"Good job, Number 20." Skyler said, addressing his Number. "You did well, all things considered. I'll Set one card and end my turn."

Katie frowned. "We were right, he's definitely using that Number as bait. He's used up both its Overlay Units and now he's just using it as a monster-proof shield."

"It's ok." Leah replied. "Dan has plenty of ways to deal with the Numbers. As long as he doesn't fall prey to Skyler's trap and Summon his own Number, he'll do just fine."

"My turn, draw." Dan paused. He seemed to be thinking things over very carefully, more carefully than Skyler had. He was weighing up every possible outcome – Leah could see it in his eyes. In that second, she knew he was going to be ok. With a deep breath, Dan made his play. "I Summon Twin-Headed Behemoth!" The dragon that appeared had a spike where its neck should be and two heads where its arms should be. It was quite grotesque-looking.

Twin-Headed Behemoth: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 1200

"Level three Twin-Headed Behemoth and **Polaris Dragon Islingh**, Overlay!" The two dragons turned fully green and blue respectively, and shot away from the galaxy portal that opened beneath them.

"Dan, don't do it!" Katie shouted. Dan paused and turned to look at her. "Don't Summon your Number! Don't play into his trap!"

I know what I'm doing." Dan called back. "I'm not playing into his strategy. I don't care how well he knows me or my Deck – his ploys still won't work on me. Trust me." Skyler looked on, quite bemused by this disagreement. Katie looked like she wanted to argue back. The two Xyz Material Monsters were spiralling around each other in the air, waiting for Dan to order them down into the portal.

Then Leah put a hand on Katie's shoulder. "Don't worry about him." She said reassuringly. "It's like he said: he knows what he's doing." Leah turned to Matt. "Don't you agree?" Matt nodded, and as they made eye contact, Leah saw something flash behind Matt's eyes. He blinked and turned away. Leah watched him with concern, wondering what was wrong.

Katie looked from her to Matt, then back to Dan, who was still watching them, his back to Skyler.

She nodded. "Alright then, but be careful."

Dan smiled and turned back to Skyler. "Right then, where was I...? Ah yes, I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters eagerly flew down into the portal, which exploded. "Appear! **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**!"

A blue number sixty-eight flashed over the field and out of the residue of the portal rose a massive dragon egg. It was black, white, and light-blue, and its texture was far from smooth, with a bumpy surface and regular gaps where a scaly skin was visible. With a crack, the egg split down the middle and began to divide, showering the field with lumps of ice. More ice shattered as the creature inside uncurled itself from the egg, and split the egg further by spreading its wings. The ground was soon littered with chunks of ice. With a final effort, the dragon finally uncurled itself completely – revealing that the egg had really been its curled-up body covered in ice – and flapped its wings once, brushing both duelists with an icy wind. The dragon had a black and white snake-like body with light blue highlights, a tail with a membrane on the end much like a fish, two long whiskers curling away from its nose (both drifting about in the breeze), and piercing teal eyes. The blue number sixty-eight was visible on its forehead, and it was orbited by two blue Overlay Units.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 2 OLU**

Dan watched a blue glowing number sixty-eight etch itself onto the back of his hand and braced himself. If the band failed him here, then things would get really bad. But all was well, the protection held. He breathed a sigh of relief and glanced up at the dragon.

Skyler didn't seem unnerved by the presence of the Number – indeed, he seemed happy to see it. "Ah, Number 68. Looks like you deigned to show your face after all." The dragon snarled at him. "Watch your temper, young Number. That attitude will land you in all sorts of problems."

"I activate Glacial Dragon's effect!" Skyler looked away from the Number to see Dan declaring an effect's activation. "By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can increase Glacial Dragon's ATK by the ATK that Overlay Unit had when it was a monster." One of the blue orbs of light broke orbit and spiralled into the gem on the dragon's head. "I detach **Polaris Dragon Islingh**, which had 1000 ATK. So those attack points are transferred to Glacial Dragon for this turn only!"

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: ATK 1000 **→** 2000**

"Now, Glacial Dragon, attack Blue Firefly! Ice nova!" The dragon charged a pure white sphere of light between its jaws. Dan gritted his teeth. _'This is it,' _he thought. _'Skyler wanted my Number to appear and now it has. So he'll definitely use his face-down Trap Card to protect the Number 20 on his field. It doesn't matter how Skyler views these monsters – they're still Numbers. They're still bound to his soul. And if they're destroyed, he'll feel pain. Plus, Blue Firefly can still have plenty of use as a wall… yeah, he'll definitely try to protect it.' _Dan grinned and glanced at a card in his hand. _'Well, the moment he does, he'll regret it.'_

But Skyler didn't react.

He simply looked on as Glacial Dragon charged its attack, and made no attempt to play a card as it fired. The beam travelled at a massive speed, and engulfed the enemy Number. Blue Firefly screeched with pain as it was destroyed by the dragon, beating its wings, trying to escape its frigid prison. And still Skyler did nothing.

Dan couldn't believe what he was seeing. Skyler was simply standing there, with his arms by his side, totally relaxed. He didn't show any pain, or any fear. He didn't even try to use his Trap Card.

He just stood there, watching his Number die.

* * *

Author-made cards:

Polaris Dragon Sona  
Dragon-Type/Tuner/WATER/Level 3/ATK 800/DEF 900  
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by removing 3 Polaris Counters from the field. Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by a battle.

Polaris Dragon Islingh  
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 300  
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by removing 3 Polaris Counters from the field. When a face-up WATER Dragon-Type monster (except "Polaris Dragon Islingh") you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard while this card is in your Graveyard: You can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard.

Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss  
Dragon-Type/Synchro/WATER/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1200  
1 WATER Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Dragon-Type monsters  
You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard) by removing 6 Polaris Counters from the field. Once per turn: You can pay 600 Life Points; distribute Polaris Counters among face-up monsters, equal to the number of "Polaris" monsters in your Graveyard. Negate the effects of all face-up monsters your opponent controls with Polaris Counters on them.

Number 20: Blue Firefly  
Insect-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 2/ATK 1500/DEF 1500  
2 Level 2 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster; change that target's Battle Position.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: you can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster in the Graveyard until the End Phase.

Static Cyclone  
Trap Card  
Tribute 1 face-up Machine-Type monster you control; until the End Phase, the effects of all face-up Effect Monsters your opponent currently controls are negated.

* * *

**Fun Fact #11: There! Did you see it? There's another one of those ultra-subtle little foreshadowing hints in this chapter. Actually, that's a good name for them. From now on, they shall be known as _Ultra-Subtle Foreshadowing Hints_. No-one's worked out what the event might be yet, and that offer of a cyber-high-twenty-five still stands.**

**Fun Fact #12: Following my tradition of having absolutely no naming theme for the Polaris Dragons, the word Sona is a corruption of the word sonar. I know, genius.**

**Fun Fact #13: We considered having Dan use Hunter Dragon rather than Twin-Headed Behemoth in this chapter, but decided on the Behemoth because it seems to be becoming somewhat of a signature card for him, next to Glacial Dragon.**

**Fun Fact #14: Yes, there is a reason that Skyler allowed his Number to go down in icy flames like that. All will be revealed in due time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Dan LP:** 3400

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 2000/DEF 1000 – 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Skyler LP:** 4000

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

Dan stared at Skyler open-mouthed. It was unbelievable. It was beyond weird. Skyler hadn't even reacted to Blue Firefly's destruction - instead, he seemed to be viewing it with the same dispassion that most players would view any of their monsters being destroyed. But this was a Number.

Eventually, Skyler broke the silence. "Are you going to finish your turn, or will you just be standing there staring for the next half an hour?"

Dan put a hand to his forehead. "What's with you? Why didn't you try to protect your Number?"

"Is that what you wanted me to do?" Skyler responded quickly. Dan blinked. "More to the point, why should I? Number 20 has served its purpose – why would I go out of my way to keep it alive?"

"Because... just..." Dan stammered, at a loss for words. "But... but doesn't it hurt you?" Skyler raised his eyebrows questioningly. "When your Number is destroyed? Doesn't your bond with the Numbers cause you pain, even through your protection?" Dan held up his own band to illustrate his point.

Skyler shook his head. "No, my protection is different from yours. These Numbers don't get anywhere near my soul, so it causes me no pain when they're destroyed. Besides," he looked at his duel disk, "I care nothing for these weak Numbers. I do not see them as partners, or allies, like you all seem to - I see them as tools, objects, things that I can use to further my eventual goals of destroying your Professor." He looked up again, fire in his eyes. "Do you understand me? I don't care about these Numbers. I only care about the strongest Numbers, the ones that I can truly rely on in battle."

Dan nodded slowly. It wasn't a pleasant explanation, and certainly wasn't one he intended to follow himself, but at least it was an explanation of sorts. _'Now I know a little more about him,' _Dan thought proudly. _'The only problem is… I'll have to change my strategy to match his. My planned combos won't work anymore.' _"I end my turn."

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: ATK 2000 **→** 1000**

"It's my turn, draw. I Special Summon Solar Wind Jammer, in Defence Position." An odd shuttle-like construction appeared, with two massive solar panels extending from either side.

Solar Wind Jammer: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 5/ATK 800/DEF 2400

"I can Special Summon this card from my hand if I control no monsters," Skyler was explaining. "However, if I do so, its ATK and DEF will be cut in half."

Solar Wind Jammer: ATK 800 → 400/DEF 2400 → 1200

"Then I Normal Summon Cyber Valley." A cybernetic serpent appeared, adorned with red orbs and an exceptionally spikey tail.

Cyber Valley: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0

"With that I end my turn."

"My turn, draw." Dan didn't dive straight into his move, but rather considered his options carefully. _'Ok, Cyber Valley's effect will end my Battle Phase if I try and attack it – that's a pain. Since it's a cost, I can't even use Glacial Dragon's effect to stop it… no problem, I just have to attack it last. Although, I'd rather save Glacial Dragon's last Overlay Unit. I know I'm going to need it later." _He nodded and strove on. "I Normal Summon Blizzard Dragon." An icy dragon rose up. It had a rounded nose and a blue body tinged with purple. Unlike most regular dragons, its wings were actually fixed onto its arms.

Blizzard Dragon: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1000

"Battle! Blizzard Dragon, attack Solar Wind Jammer!" The dragon flapped into the air, then dove down at the shuttle and slashed at it one, twice, three times. The machine blew up violently, showering the field with machine parts. "Now, Glacial Dragon, attack Cyber Valley!" The Number began to charge its attack. "Go on then," Dan grinned, "use Cyber Valley's effect. Get on with it."

"You know what, I think I will do just that," Skyler replied calmly. "Cyber Valley's effect activates. When it becomes the target of an attack, I can banish it to draw one card and end the Battle Phase." Cyber Valley faded away and Skyler drew his card, Glacial Dragon allowed its attack to dissipate, and shook its head to clear it.

Dan nodded. "I guess that end my turn then."

"Good," Skyler replied. "My turn, draw." His eyes widened slightly as he examined the card he drew, and Matt realised right there that Skyler had finally got what he wanted, and was about to start fighting back. He started to warn Dan, but a glance from Leah made him stop. Of course, Dan had probably worked that out already. Skyler began his move. "I Special Summon-" then he stopped abruptly. Dan raised an eyebrow in question. Skyler gestured with his metal hand – which was still clutching the card he'd been about to play – at Matt, Katie and Leah. No, not at them, at something behind them. The four kids turned around.

It was the unconscious girl. She was waking up.

The three spectators quickly knelt down next to her. Dan ran over to join them, momentarily abandoning the duel. Together, they pulled her into a sitting position and watched her carefully as she opened her eyes. She looked at the Deltas with bleary eyes. "Who… who are you?" she asked.

"We're friends." Matt said

"Don't worry. You're safe now." Leah said kindly. The girl looked at Leah with confused eyes. She tried to push herself upright, and it was then that the kids realised just how badly she'd been hurt. They could see it in the way she winced and gritted her teeth, and how she held her left arm awkwardly, and the way she seemed reluctant to stretch one leg out further than the other. Leah and Katie gently put their hands on Andrea's shoulders to keep her from getting up.

"W- where am I?" Andrea asked. "How did I get hurt?"

Matt took on the role of diplomat. "You're in a play-park near the centre of the city. We're not sure what happened to you – you were like this when we found you. It's quite likely that you were attack by someone." The others, impressed by Matt's quick thinking, all affirmed this story. Andrea nodded slowly, still trying to take everything in.

Dan smiled at her. "Do you have any family that we can contact? They'll want to know what's happened to you." The girl nodded. She seemed to be relaxing a bit more as she regained control of her facilities and came to grips with what was happening.

"Hey Dan," Katie said. Dan leant in closer so that Andrea couldn't hear. "We can handle things from here – we're just going to ask her for a contact number and get in touch with her family. You still have to finish your duel."

"You sure?" he asked. Katie nodded, but was then distracted by a sound from Andrea.

"D-duel..." she stammered. She had caught sight of Glacial Dragon and Blizzard Dragon, and was staring at them with wide eyes.

"Oh yeah," Dan laughed, realising that she must have overheard their conversation. He lifted his duel disk so Andrea could see it. "I was in the middle of a duel just before this happened. You're a duelist as well, I take it. Are you good?"

Andrea screamed.

It was a shriek of pure and utter terror. None of the kids were expecting it, and they all leapt away from the girl purely on instinct. Glacial Dragon heard the noise and turned its head to find the source. Andrea screamed again, and scrambled backwards. She collapsed almost immediately as she tried to rest weight on her bad arm. But she wasn't deterred – her eyes were wild, desperate, terrified. Her only thought was to get away from the duel.

By this time, the Deltas had recovered. "Andrea, what's the matter?" Katie called. Andrea didn't answer, but was now attempting to run away, but kept collapsing every few steps as she tried to put her weight on one of her ankles.

Leah caught up to her in four quick steps, and grabbed hold of her shoulders to try and keep her still and get her to sit back down. Andrea fought back viciously: punching, biting, scratching, and all the while sobbing her heart out. The four Deltas couldn't believe what they were seeing – what on earth was happening to her?

Matt ran over to the two of them and grabbed one of the girl's flailing arms. Ignoring her own injuries, Leah took hold of the other arm, and together they half led, half dragged the girl to the edge of the park, out of sight of the duel. Dan and Katie followed, determined to get to the bottom of this. A warning light flashed up on Dan's D-Gazer, warning him that he was straying too far from the duel. He ignored the warning and put his duel disk in standby mode. The holograms of his two dragons froze in place. Glacial Dragon was now staring at Dan in what seemed to be a reproachful way. He ignored it and followed the others. Skyler watched them go, but made no move to follow.

Outside the park, where they could no longer see the monsters, Andrea seemed to have calmed down slightly. She was no longer lashing out at anyone who came close, but was slumped against the wall of a nearby house, crying her eyes out. Leah was just standing there helplessly, nursing her own injuries. Who could blame her – what could the possibly do to help Andrea?

Eventually, Matt broke the silence. "So, are you going to tell us what the problem is?" Katie gave him a stern look for not being more sensitive, but Matt didn't seem to notice.

Andrea was shaking her head vigorously. "No... no... the monsters, I can't..." she broke down again.

"But you're a duelist yourself." Matt insisted. "I saw you. How can you suddenly be this terrified of the monsters?" She didn't answer, but she kept sobbing away, her face buried in her hands.

Then Dan gasped. The other three turned to face him. "It's him! He did this!" He exclaimed, and before anyone could stop him, he had dashed back into the park.

Skyler was waiting for him, sitting cross-legged on the ground, not looking at all concerned. "How is she?" he asked calmly.

Behind Dan, Matt and Leah had also re-entered the park, having left Katie in charge of sorting Andrea out. Dan didn't notice either of them arrive.

"You did that to her, didn't you?" Dan growled, his voice thick with anger. "You said yourself that your Number-extraction method causes damage to the person. Is this what you meant? Does that happen every time?"

Skyler shrugged. "Everyone reacts differently to it. That's the first time I've seen someone become traumatised by the sight of duel monsters, but I suppose it's plausible. Do you remember the duelist I took Blue Firefly from before?" Dan nodded. "He seems to have lost all sense of his surroundings. When he woke up, he just started wandering around the city. There was no pattern to where he was going – he was just walking everywhere and anywhere. He was doing this for over an hour before one of his friends recognised him by chance. They brought him home to his family, but the boy didn't recognise any of them." Skyler stood up and brushed off his coat nonchalantly. "A shame really, being unable to recognise your own family. But as we've discussed," Skyler's eyes narrowed, "the alternatives would be far worse."

Dan was literally shaking with rage. "You... how could you... you absolute... you..."

"Save your breath," Skyler said loudly, finally raising his voice. "I Special Summon Unknown Synchron!" The monster that appeared was a big metal ball with a single eye.

Unknown Synchron: Machine-Type/Tuner/DARK/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0

"This card is similar to Solar Wind Jammer." Skyler announced. "I can Special Summon it when all the monsters in play are on your field. Next, I'll Tribute it to Tribute Summon **Matter Channeler**!" Unknown Synchron faded into nothing, and in its place appeared a shiny black robot. It had a satellite dish on its head that was even larger than its body.

**Matter Channeler: Machine-type/LIGHT/Level 6/ATK 500/DEF 1600**

"This is my ace monster! Feel privileged that I decided to use it on you! Now I'll activate the Spell Card Machine Duplication, which Summons two copies of my monster!" To identical robots appeared alongside the first

**Matter Channeler: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 6/ATK 500/DEF 1600**

**Matter Channeler: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 6/ATK 500/DEF 1600**

"Next I'll use the Spell Card Iron Call, to revive a Level four or lower Machine-Type monster from my Graveyard. Return to us, Sonic Jammer!"

Sonic Jammer: Machine-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK 350/DEF 650

"Wait, stop!" Dan was still determined to speak to Skyler about his actions, but Skyler was having none of it.

"I banish Sonic Jammer to Special Summon **Cosmic Corruptor LV1**!" Sonic Jammer did not actually seem to disappear, but instead its colours seemed to darken, and it was surrounded by black electricity.

**Cosmic Corruptor LV1: Machine-Type/DARK/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 0**

"When this card is Special Summoned by banishing a Machine-Type monster like I did, its Level becomes the same as the banished monster's Level plus one."

**Cosmic Corruptor LV1: Level 1 **→** 3**

"Almost there," he muttered. "I activate the Spell Card **Supersymmetry**! This card can change the Levels of all Machine-Type monsters I control to equal the Level of one Machine-Type monster that I target – in this case, Cosmic Corruptor!"

**Matter Channeler: Level 6 **→** 3**

**Matter Channeler: Level 6 **→** 3**

**Matter Channeler: Level 6 **→** 3**

"Level three **Cosmic Corruptor LV1** and all **Matter Channeler**s, Overlay!" All four monsters changed into masses of light (one purple and three yellow) and shot upwards, then straight down into a galaxy-style portal below. "I use these four monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The portal exploded, and a blazing light flooded out of it. Dan cried out and covered his eyes. The two spectators did the same. Outside the park, Katie did her best to comfort Andrea.

And through the blazing light and the howling wind, Skyler's voice rang out, loud and commanding. "Descend forth! **Number 3: Comet the Skylord**!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Matter Channeler  
Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 6/ATK 500/DEF 1600  
Once per turn: You can send cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard until a Machine-Type monster is sent, then apply 1 of these effects. ●Increase this card's Level by the Level of that sent monster. ●Decrease this card's Level by the Level of that sent monster.

Cosmic Corruptor LV1  
Machine-Type/DARK/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 0  
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by banishing 1 face-up Machine-Type monster you control. When you do: Increase this card's Level by the original Level of the banished monster.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: you can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster in the Graveyard until the End Phase.

Supersymmetry  
Spell Card  
Target 1 face-up Machine-Type monster you control; the Level of all face-up Machine-Type monsters you currently control become the same as that target's Level.

* * *

**Fun Fact #15: Suddenly, plot twist. A second Number. Will shenanigans ensue? Most likely.**

**Fun Fact #16: Yes, Skyler does like Machine-Type monsters, why do you ask?**

**Fun Fact #17: As per usual, we're not putting the new card's stats in this chapter. They'll be in the next chapter. Sit tight.**

**Fun Fact #18: The explanation on Cosmic Corruptor's Summoning may not have been very thorough, so we'll try and clear it up here. Cosmic Corruptor took on the appearance of a darknened version of Sonic Jammer, which is why Sonic Jammer didn't seem to leave the field. Hope that was clear.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Dan LP:** 3400

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 - 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Skyler LP:** 4000

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

"Descend forth! **Number 3: Comet the Skylord**!"

A pure white number zero-three etched itself onto Skyler's bicep. The rays of light from the portal parted, and out of it rose a white and grey asteroid with spiral patterns on either side, and a large metal halo floating just above it. With a shower of glowing dust, the asteroid split down the middle, and four wings unfurled themselves from inside. The wings looked like they were made of something impossibly smooth, and seemed to be reflecting a swirling rainbow pattern that wasn't there. Its body was a small diamond shape, enclosed on either side by the two spiral-patterned domes that had been its shell. Behind it was the halo, which was now fixed to the monster's back rather than above its head. Four green orbs of light surrounded it.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000 – 4 OLU**

Leah gasped. "A second Number? Where on earth did that come from?"

"It must be the one that he extracted from Andrea." Matt gritted his teeth. "Four Xyz Material Monsters... this is going to be a strong Number."

Dan had barely registered the Number's appearance. In fact, he wasn't saying anything at all. He was still angry at Skyler, and was determined to speak with him, but he couldn't do it during Skyler's turn because he kept getting interrupted. So he waited.

"I activate Number 3's effect!" Skyler stated. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can destroy one card on the field that has an effect, and then increase my monster's ATK by 1000 for this turn." One of the four green orbs flew up and stopped dead, right in the middle of the halo.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: 4 **→** 3 OLU**

"I target **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**!" The green orb changed to white, and began to crackle with energy.

Dan responded quickly. "I chain the Trap Card, Xyz Coat! So for this turn only, a face-up Xyz Monster I target cannot be destroyed by anything - either by battle or by card effects." The green orb within Comet's halo fizzled and dissipated. "And since your Number couldn't destroy anything by its effect, it can't increase its ATK either."

"Not a problem," Skyler replied. "I'll simply use its effect a second time!"

"Hang on, what?" Dan gasped. "You can use its effect more than once each turn?"

"Correct," Skyler said flatly. "There is no limit on how many times this Number can use its effect each turn. I can activate it as many times as I like, as long as I detach one Overlay Unit per activation." As if in response, Comet absorbed another green orb into its halo.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: 3 **→** 2 OLU**

"This time, the target shall be your Blizzard Dragon!" Once again, the Overlay Unit turned white and crackled with electricity. Slowly, a pure white spear formed within the Number's halo, and was launched at the Blizzard Dragon. The blue dragon was struck through the chest, and roared in agony, before exploding. The spear remained a moment longer, but then dissipated into particles of light which returned to Comet the Skylord. "Now then, since the destruction actually went through this time, Number 3 gains 1000 ATK!"

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: ATK 2300 **→** 3300**

"I activate the Spell Card, Swords of Revealing Light!" The Spell Card appeared on Skyler's field, and a line of shining swords shot down from the sky, completely surrounding Dan and his Number. "While this card is in play, you can't attack for three turns."

Leah scratched her head. "I don't get it. Why is he playing that now?"

"He's not playing it, he's using it," Matt said, his eyes fixed on the duel. "He's not trying to use it to stop Dan's attacks... he's using it as fuel for his Number."

"I activate Number 3's effect one more time, to destroy Swords of Revealing Light!" Comet used its third Overlay Unit to form another white spear and used it to destroy the Spell Card. Once again, the spear dissipated soon after, returning its strength to the Number. The swords surrounding Dan's field faded away just as quickly as they'd arrived.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: ATK 3300 **→** 4300**

"Battle! Number 3, attack Number 68 now! Heaven's impact!" Comet began to charge a sphere of energy inside its halo. Dan watched it do so with fearful eyes – this attack wouldn't defeat him, but 3300 points of damage was still going to be extremely painful. But it was ok. He could soften the damage by using Glacial Dragon's final Overlay Unit...

Then, just before the attack was fired, Dan happened to glance down and catch Skyler's eye. There was something in his gaze that hadn't been there before: expectation. Dan gasped, understanding. _'So that's it! He's still stringing me along. He wants me to use that last Overlay Unit so it no longer becomes a threat!' _At that moment, Dan made a decision. He had no idea if it was the right one, but it meant he wasn't playing into Skyler's hands anymore.

He kept the Unit attached.

Comet fired without warning. The blast of energy was colossal, and struck Glacial Dragon with huge force. The dragon howled in pain, but Dan's Xyz Coat card protected it from the worst of the attack. Instead, the worst of it hit Dan. His vision went white as the sphere of light engulfed him. Agony shot through his body. The wind ripped at his hair – the attack seemed to contain a thousand mini-typhoons within the sphere.

Matt and Leah covered their faces from the explosion which came an instant later. The ground was ripped up and the trees were stripped of their leaves. The kids felt their arms and faces being pelted with bits of grass and soil. When the smoke cleared, Dan was now kneeling in a crater, still alive but hurt.

**Dan LP:** 3400 → 100

Skyler gritted his teeth, seeing the enemy Number Hunter still pretty much ok after the attack. "I end my turn."

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: ATK 4300 **→** 2300**

With an effort, Dan got back to his feet, and despite his injuries he was glaring at his opponent. The field was suddenly quiet. The only sound drifting through the air was Andrea's hysterical cries of anguish, and Katie desperately trying to calm her down.

Then Dan spoke, slowly and angrily. "Skyler... what the hell are you?"

"Hmm?" Skyler gave him a puzzled look.

Then Dan lost his temper completely. "Can you even see what you've done to these Number holders?" He screamed at Skyler. "You've hurt them! You've damaged them! You've quite possibly destroyed any chance they have of leading a normal life again! And all for the sake of denying us the Numbers, because of some personal grudge you have with our boss! Why do so many innocent people need to suffer for this? And why don't you care? Why don't you show any remorse for your actions at all? Answer me! WHY DON'T YOU CARE?"

Skyler said nothing. He refused to even acknowledge the question.

"That does it..." Dan snarled. "I'm going to tear you to shreds! I won't let you harm anyone else!" Behind him, Glacial Dragon stirred. The band was still protecting Dan from the Number's influence, but the bond with a Number was strong, and the dragon still felt his extreme emotions, his rage. To the Number, the intense emotions were like a cool drink of water to a starved animal, and the dragon responded by spreading its wings and letting out a roar of fury.

Matt took a step back, his eyes wide with fear. "He's losing his cool out there! Leah, we have to d-" he turned to look at her, but discovered that she wasn't there anymore. She was already moving, sprinting towards the duel.

The blue number sixty-eight on the back of Dan's hand flashed and shimmered as the Number reacted to Dan's anger. The dragon couldn't do anything, but it was still stirred up by the high intensity emotion. "It's my turn. I dr-" Something grabbed Dan's hand as he reached for his duel disk. Immediately, he felt a calming sensation wash over him, watering down his anger and allowing him a sense of clarity. He turned around to see Leah clasping his hand, a glowing green number seventeen on the back of her own hand.

They stood there for a moment, speechless. Then Dan said, "How did you do that?"

She looked at the glowing symbol on her hand and shrugged. "I'm not sure... I just knew I had to do it." She looked at him earnestly. "You were starting to lose it; I had to stop you. You can't win this duel with anger – you can't win any duel with anger. You have to be able to think clearly."

Dan stared at her for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry. I promise I'll be more careful, ok?" She nodded happily and walked back over to a rather confused Matt.

Skyler was watching the pair of then with a vague interest. "It seems they have a bond that extends into the power of their Numbers..." he muttered, chuckling. "Hmm, the Numbers get more interesting every day."

Dan stood up straight. "My turn, I draw." He turned over his drawn card and gasped. Here it was. The card Leah gave him – and it was like opening a door. The path to victory instantly became clear in Dan's head. And this card would make it possible. "I place two cards face-down." He set the card he'd just drawn plus another one from his hand in his Spell & Trap Card Zone. "Next, I activate the Equip Spell Card, Heart of Clear Water!" The Spell activated, and covered Glacial Dragon in a shimmering film of water. "It can only be equipped to a monster with 1300 or less ATK, but once equipped, the equipped monster can't be destroyed by battle or effects that target it. Finally, I'll switch Glacial Dragon to Defence Position and end my turn." The Number furled its wings around itself and dropped down low.

"I see," Skyler said, thinking out loud. "You've put your monster in Defence Position to protect your Life Points, and used that Equip Card to protect your monster. A pretty basic strategy, with an easy-to-spot weakness: the Equip Card has no protection! My turn, draw." Skyler barely even registered his drawn card. "Number 3's effect activates! I'll use its last Overlay Unit to destroy your Equip Spell, Heart of Clear Water!" The final orb of light changed into a spear and skewered Dan's Spell Card.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: ATK 2300 **→** 3300**

"Your Number is defeated, you foolish Delta!" Skyler cried. "Go, Number 3, attack Number 68 one more time! Heaven's impact!" Once again, Comet began charging its attack.

Dan responded. "I activate the Trap Card, Gamushara!" The Trap Card flipped up. "When a monster I control is attacked while in Defence Position, this card switches it into Attack Position! So up you get, Glacial Dragon!" The dragon responded with a roar and spread its wings out wide.

"What're you doing?" Skyler asked, though he was beginning to feel like he'd blundered straight into a cunningly-laid trap.

"I activate Glacial Dragon's effect!" Dan was saying. The Number's last remaining Overlay Unit spiralled into its forehead, adorning it with a light blue glow. "By detaching the Twin-Headed Behemoth Overlay Unit, Glacial Dragon gains 1500 ATK during this turn!"

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: ATK 1000 **→** 2500**

"Why bother?" Skyler shouted. "It's still too weak! A weak Number shall always be a weak Number – and such things will not stand against me!"

Dan grinned. "Don't you remember the old saying, Skyler? How did it go…? _There's safety in numbers_…" He took a deep breath and triggered his last card. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, **Archlord's Blessing**!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: you can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster in the Graveyard until the End Phase.

Number 3: Comet the Skylord  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000  
4 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up Effect Card on the field; destroy that target, then this card gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase. When this card destroys an Xyz Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Draw 1 card for each Overlay Unit attached to this card.

* * *

**Fun Fact #19: No, we're not putting the card info for Archlord's Blessing in this chapter either. Just be patient a little longer.**

**Fun Fact #20: That rage exhibited by Dan is relevant to future things. We're not saying anything more than that.**

**Fun Fact #21: For some reason, we never expected to have such a problem with keeping the Numbers alive during duels, as we always assumed that the Numbers' inbuilt protection would keep them safe. Unfortunately, in our stories, Numbers tend to fight other Numbers quite a lot, so we've needed to search for / create cards that can protect the Numbers. It's pretty arduous.**

**Fun Fact #22: That quote that Matt used earlier, "He's not playing it, he's using it," referencing the activation of Swords of Revealing Light. Does that sound familiar to anyone? If you watched the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Dub, then it should. Zane Truesdale was always going on about the difference between 'using' and 'playing' a card.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Dan LP:** 100

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 2500/DEF 1000 - 0 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Gamushara, **Archlord's Blessing**

**Skyler LP:** 4000

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 3300/DEF 2000 – 0 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

"**Archlord's Blessing**?" Skyler wondered out loud. "What card is that?"

Dan grinned. "It's a card I received from a very close friend of mine..." He turned and gave Leah the thumbs up. She waved back. "She gave it to me because she wanted to play a part in taking you down as well. And now she can!"

"You think that card is strong enough to help your Number hold its own against mine?" Skyler shouted.

"Hold its own, no. Defeat, yes." Dan replied confidently. "**Archlord's Blessing** can only be activated when the ATK of a monster changes. Then, once activated, this card doubles that change until the End Phase. So since Glacial Dragon just used its effect to gain 1500 ATK, this card will supply it with 1500 more!" The dragon lit up like a beacon as it was strengthened further.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: ATK 2500 **→** 4000**

"You..." Skyler growled. "You tricked me!" Above and behind him, Comet the Skylord was ready to fire. Unfortunately, it was now attacking a monster with higher ATK.

"Glacial Dragon, retaliate! Ice nova!" The dragon drew back its head, then launched an icy ray of energy, which struck the sphere that was still forming within Comet's halo. The explosion was sudden and violent. It rocked the ground, throwing up dust. Matt and Leah dropped down onto one knee, trying not to be knocked over completely.

**Skyler LP:** 4000 → 3300

Skyler was watching the destruction of his Number. Once again there was no pain on his face, but there was rage, coupled with a hint of anxiety. He heard Dan shout over the exploding Number, and looked down at him. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he saw Dan gesturing at his Gamushara Trap Card.

Skyler cursed under his breath. _'Of course, that Trap Card damages me for my monster's original ATK if it's destroyed by this battle. That was a well laid out plan. And I waltzed into it without a second thought!'_

The Trap Card lit up to signify that its effect had activated. The burning remains of Number 3 hovered for a moment longer, then fell from the sky and landed on top of Skyler. He disappeared in a second explosion, this one even more violent than the last.

**Skyler LP:** 3300 → 1000

Dan breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, that deadly Number was dealt with. The problem was that he still only had a tenth of Skyler's Life Points: he still had a ways to go.

Skyler was thinking something very different – he was very angry. This Delta had irked him, and he was not about to forgive. With an effort, he stood up again. "I... I activate my Trap Card, Xyz Reborn!" The Trap Card flipped up, and started to spew out particles of light. "With this card, I can bring an Xyz Monster back from my Graveyard, and then attach Xyz Reborn to it as an Overlay Unit!" The burning remnants of the Number scattered around him levitated into the air and moved back behind him. All of a sudden, they were obscured by a beam of light. "Revive, **Number 3: Comet the Skylord**!" The beam vanished, and the Number hung there, suspended in the sky, ready to fight again. The Xyz Reborn card shrunk down into an orb of light, then flew up above Number and began circling it.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000 – 1 OLU**

Skyler glared at Dan's Number. "Glacial Dragon... you should have gone down ages ago! Well now it's going to happen! I activate Number 3's effect, detaching its Overlay Unit to destroy your dragon!" The newly attached Overlay Unit flew straight into Comet's halo and reformed into a white spear, which hurtled down and struck Glacial Dragon. The Number let out a roar of pain and exploded. Dan covered his face from the explosion, then gasped in agony and clutched his hand, the destruction of his Number translating into his own pain.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: ATK 2300 **→** 3300**

"That ends my turn! Go ahead, young Delta! Make your last move!" Skyler shouted.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: ATK 3300 **→** 2300**

Dan carefully straightened up, and took in a large lungful of air to try and calm himself. "My turn, draw! I activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn, which lets me revive a monster from any player's Graveyard!"

"Hmm... I assume that you're going to revive the **Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss** that I destroyed earlier on in this duel." Skyler said. "Why bother? It can't destroy Comet, and I can simply annihilate it during my next turn. And with only one other card in your hand, I find it highly unlikely that you can inflict enough damage to defeat me."

Dan grinned craftily. "Never assume anything, especially in an all-or-nothing duel like this." Skyler blinked, confused. "With the effect of Monster Reborn, I revive **Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss**!" The icy dragon reappeared with a roar of triumph, and settled onto its hind legs behind Dan.

**Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss: Dragon-Type/Synchro/WATER/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1200**

"You intend to use its effect, paying 600 Life Points to place Polaris Counters on my Number, which in turn will activate Skhulglyss' other effect, negating Number 3s effects and allowing your dragon to destroy it in battle. Am I correct?" Dan said nothing. "In any case, it won't work: you don't have enough Life Points to pay the cost."

"Despite what you seem to think, I am fully aware of that." Dan retorted. "Next, I Normal Summon **Polaris's Frostling**!" A small white egg appeared, which immediately shattered to reveal a tiny blue dragon hatchling hiding inside it.

**Polaris' Frostling: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 100**

"That's about as weak as weaklings can get. And how exactly will a weakling like that help you?" Skyler said nastily.

"With its effect." Dan replied. "By Tributing it, I can revive one WATER Dragon-Type monster from my Graveyard." Frostling faded from view. "Revive, **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**!" Light flooded out of Dan's Graveyard, and the sealed form of Glacial Dragon rose up behind him. The sphere of ice shattered, and the dragon rose out from inside to settle alongside Skhulglyss. "Oh, and if the targeted monster was an Xyz Monster, Frostling is then attached to it as an Overlay Unit." Dan added. A blue orb of light floated out of his Graveyard and settled into orbit around Glacial Dragon.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 0 OLU**

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: 0 **→ **1 OLU**

"What's the point?" Skyler shouted. "None of these monsters can defeat Number 3! Admit defeat already!"

"Sorry, but that's one thing I'll never do!" Dan yelled back. "Glacial Dragon's effect activates-"

"Like I said, it's pointless!" Skyler interrupted. "Frostling only had 100 attack points! That isn't enough make Number 68 strong enough!"

"You must not be aware of Glacial Dragon's other effect then." Dan retorted. "The effect that doesn't require an Overlay Unit." Skyler looked at him in confusion. "Now then, Glacial Dragon's other effect activates! Once per turn, I can cancel the effects of any face-up card on the field until the End Phase. I target Comet the Skylord!" Glacial Dragon drew back its head and fired a sphere of light at the enemy Number. The sphere flared with light, which soon died down to reveal Comet now covered in a dusting of frost, with icicles hanging from it.

"Wait... no!" Skyler cried, suddenly realising what was about to happen.

Dan nodded. "Looks like you've figured it out. With its effects gone, Comet can now be destroyed by non-Number monsters. So go, **Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss**! Attack **Number 3: Comet the Skylord**! Blizzard force stream!" Skhulglyss reared back and launched an icy stream of breath at the Number, which went down with a resounding explosion. Skyler couldn't do a thing - he was forced to watch as his Number was destroyed yet again.

**Skyler LP:** 1000 → 700

"This is the end! Glacial Dragon, direct attack! Ice Nova!" The Number gave out a roar of triumph, and Skyler knew right at that moment that he'd been beaten. The dragon pulled its head back, then launched a ray of icy energy at Skyler. He threw his hands up in a vain attempt to ward it off as the attack engulfed him.

**Dan LP: **100 [WINNER]

**Skyler LP:** 700 → 0

The final claxon sounded as the residue from the attack dissipated, showing Skyler kneeling down, clutching his arm. Dan's two dragons faded away as the augmented reality disappeared.

Leah cried out in joy and started running towards the two duelists, but Matt held out a hand to stop her. "Wait here," he said. "It's not over yet."

Skyler was clearly in a fair bit of pain, but the look on Dan's face suggested that he wasn't about to find any sympathy. Dan pointed at Skyler with his right hand. The band around his wrist lit up, but nothing extended from them yet. "You lost, Skyler." Dan said. "Make good on your promise, and hand over your Numbers without a fuss."

Skyler glared at the three Deltas for a moment longer, teeth gritted, panting from the exertions of the day. Then he got to his feet, spread his arms out wide, and growled, "Very well, I'll honour the deal. Go ahead." With tentativeness, Dan extended the tendrils of light from his band into Skyler's body. His fists clenched, and a pained look of concentration appeared on Skyler's face.

Guiding the tendrils, Dan felt his way around Skyler's soul. He brushed against one Number – Blue Firefly – and remembered its position as he kept searching. Soon he came across a second – Comet the Skylord – but no matter how hard he looked, he could find no more than those two Numbers. It seemed that those were all Skyler had on his person. Resigned to only having found two, Dan nervously tightened his grip on both Numbers, waiting for the pain that James had felt. But there was nothing. Skyler was telling the truth. With relief, Dan gave a small tug, and the band did the rest. The tendrils extricated the Numbers hold on Skyler's soul and they came away with ease.

Matt watched with relief as the tendrils began to retract, carrying with them first one card, then another. Both were deposited in Dan's hand, and the light from the band went out. It was over.

The moment the Numbers left him, Skyler seemed to lose all of his initial strength and powerful presence. He staggered forward slightly, and clutched his metal arm again. He looked haggard, exhausted. He turned and began to walk away.

"Hey!" Dan shouted. "We're not finished here!" Skyler stopped without turning around. "What you've done to Andrea and Harrison – how do we undo it?"

Skyler turned to face him, and spoke. Even the commanding way he had once spoke seemed to have stopped. "Those... their spirits are broken. A partial recovery is possible, but it's unlikely that their lives will ever return to the way they were. It's tragic I know, but as we've already discussed, it's a necessary sacrifice for the greater good."

Dan clenched his fists, but it was Leah who began shouting. "You're not human! You're not even really alive!" she screamed. Skyler was startled by her outburst. "These people have done nothing – nothing at all – to deserve what you're inflicting on them! And the only reason you've given us so far is that the Numbers would be better off with you than with us!" She took a step forward to bring her alongside Dan. "Our only concern is the people we're dueling! We're trying to save them! But you… you ruin lives to further your own goals and you don't even care! YOU'RE DISGUSTING!" She stopped, breathing heavily. Dan put a hand on her shoulder, worried that she would really lose it and attack Skyler. Matt stepped up beside the two of them, saying nothing but showing comradery all the same. He turned and saw Katie also running over to join them, having finally sent Andrea home with her parents. That made four of them.

Skyler examined the four Deltas for a moment, and Matt realised that his initial look of contempt was gone. He seemed to be looking at them properly for the first time. It was a long time before he spoke.

But speak he did. "I believe you..." he said slowly. "I believe that you truly wish to help people, or else I would leave this second. So I will revise my original statement. The Numbers are indeed safe with you – however, that does not change the fact that you work for the Professor, and he must not have them. So I will not change my actions, nor will I lament them. I must capture the Numbers to keep them away from the Professor, and if that means taking them from you as well, then that is exactly what I shall do. This means that our paths are sure to cross again, but for now, I have to leave." He started to walk away again.

"Hang on!" Katie shouted. "You still haven't told us the most important thing: what is Professor Usur planning? What could possibly be so dangerous that you have to go to such lengths?"

Skyler didn't turn around or stop walking. Instead he just spoke, "It is not my place to tell you. You will find out eventually, and I guarantee that when you do, you will feel exactly the same way I do. Until we meet again. Farewell." Then he was gone.

The Deltas stood there, at a loss for words, trying to make sense out of what had been said. They felt like they were being played as pieces in a game that they didn't understand and no-one would explain. It made them feel frustrated and insignificant all at once.

And from just outside the park came a shout as James ran towards them. "Hey guys! Am I too late to help?"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Polaris' Frostling  
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 100  
If you control a face-up "Polaris" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can Tribute this card you control, then target 1 WATER Dragon-Type monster (except "Polaris' Frostling") in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target, then if that target is an Xyz Monster, attach this card from the Graveyard to that target as an Overlay Unit.

Polaris Dragon Lord Skhulglyss  
Dragon-Type/Synchro/WATER/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 1200  
1 WATER Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Dragon-Type monsters  
You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard) by removing 6 Polaris Counters from the field. Once per turn: You can pay 600 Life Points; distribute Polaris Counters among face-up monsters, equal to the number of "Polaris" monsters in your Graveyard. Negate the effects of all face-up monsters your opponent controls with Polaris Counters on them.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: you can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster in the Graveyard until the End Phase.

Number 3: Comet the Skylord  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000  
4 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up Effect Card on the field; destroy that target, then this card gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase. When this card destroys an Xyz Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Draw 1 card for each Overlay Unit attached to this card.

Archlord's Blessing  
Quick-Play Spell Card  
When the ATK of a face-up monster changes: Target that monster; double that change until the End Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #23: Winning a duel with 100 LP left... classic Yu-Gi-Oh! stuff there.  
**

**Fun Fact #24: And there's Archlord's Blessing. I hope you weren't waiting for a super-mega-ultra-powerful-game-changing card, because the reality is a bit less exciting. But that's partly the point. Card's can possess playability and/or sentimental value without being ridiculously overpowered.**

**Fun Fact #25: We originally planned a finishing scene where Dan revives one or both of Skyler's Numbers and uses them to defeat him. This would have been far more awesome, but we couldn't find a way to make it both feasible and believable. So you'll have to settle for Skhulglyss instead. Which is perfectly ok, because Skhulglyss is made of frozen awesome.**

**Fun Fact #26: The reason Matt is so stoic (can endure hardships while showing very little emotion) while Skyler is talking is because of Matt's past experiences with Number 51. It's taught him to keep his temper under more control than he would normally.**

**Fun Fact #27: Did you know that according to Microsoft Word 2010, the word 'comradery' doesn't exist? I sure didn't.**

**Fun Fact #28: Yes, Skyler is going to be a recurring character from now on, why do you ask?  
**


End file.
